Letter-box.



PATBNTED Nov. 22, 1904.

.5. N. NUTT. LETTER BOX. APPL10AT1oN`1ILBD APR. 25. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

.vlllllll Wnegses UNITED STATES Patented November 22, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JASPER N. NUTT, OF SIDNEY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GIDEO E. OYPHERS, SIDNEY, OHIO. v g

. LETTER-BX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 775,543, dated November 22, 1904.

Application filed .A'pril 275, 1904.

lTo @ZZ whom it 11a/ay concern:

Be it known that I, JASPER N. UTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sidney, in the county of Shelby and State of Ohio, have in-v vented a new and useful Letter-Box, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in letter-boxes, more particularly to those em-A ployed by individuals for receivingmail-matter from the carriers and which may-also be employed for depositing mail-matter to be collected by the carriers, and 'has for its object to improve the construction and produce a device of this character inexpensive to manufacture, strong and durable, and which not only efectually protects the contents from access by unauthorized persons, but likewise protects the mail-matter from dampness, dust, and the like.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the nature of the invention vis better understood, the same consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating cl1aracters,is illustrated the preferred form of the embodiment ofthe invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto, as various changes in the shape, proportions, and general assemblage of the parts may be resorted to without sectional elevation. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation, partially in section. Fig. lis a sectional det-ail view of a modified form of mail-receptacle.

The improved device comprises a casing 10 of any suitable material or of any required size and provided with a swinging cover 11, preferably semicylindrical in form, With semi- Serial No. 204,850. (No model.)

ypreferably be spaced a short distance above the side and end walls, as shown, to form a vdepending vlower rim.

The casing 10 is provided With'a swinging door 15, through which te remove the inailmatter, thevdoor being provided with a lock .16 of any suitable kind.

At the rear side the casing I() is provided with a socket 17 opening downwardly and having an inwardly-extending resilient pawl 18, the socket being provided for engagement with a supporting member 19, having' a re- "cess 2O to receive the pawl18 and prevent the removal of the casing after it has been coupled to the socket.

Extending laterally from the member 19 is 70 I a lug 21 for supporting the lower edge of the casing 10 and having spaced vertical spurs 22 for extending in front of the depending rear Wall of the casing beneath its floor 49.

The member 19 is connected to any suitable 75 support, such as a post 23, by bolts 24.

Mounted for rotation in the casing 10 is a cylindrical receptacle 25, having a longitudinal aperture 26 along one side through which to insert the mail-matter and with a segment 8O 27 at one side to provide for the free discharge of the mail-matter when the receptacle is over-- turned, as hereinafter described. The segment will preferably be formed by continuing the material forming the sides of the receptacle inwardly until it intersects the receptacle, thus forming the Whole receptacle in three pieces of sheet metalwith the sides and segment portion in one single sheet and the e ds in two circular disks.

Extending inwardly from the ends of the casing 10 are spaced lugs 28 for supporting brackets 29, the lugs having recesses to receive lateral ribs upon the bracketsand the latter secured tothe end walls of the casing, as by rivets or bolts 31. The brackets are provided, respectively, with bearings 32 to receive trunnions 33 on the ends of the receiver 25 and byV which means the latter is supported rotatively.

Connected pivotally by one end at 34 to the ends of the receiver 25 are bars 35, having longitudinal slots 36 in their other ends for` slidable engagement with pins 37 on the ends of the cover ll. The bars 35 are curved intermediately to cause them to avoid the bearings 32 of the brackets 29 when the cover is lowered. By this simple means when the cover is lowered the pins 37, traveling to the inner ends of the slots 36 in the bars 35, 'will rotate the receptacle 25 with its open side downward, and then when the cover is vraised the pins 36 when they have moved the full length of the slots in the bars pick up the same and quickly rotate the receptacle with its aperture upward or in position to receive the mail-matter. Thus it will be noted that the cover acts only during the last portion of its stroke both in opening and closing, as the required movement of the receptacle is so much shorter than the required movement of the cover.

The receptacle 25 is provided with a stop 38, operating between spacedv stops 39 40 on the interior of the casing l() to limit the throw of the receptacle.

lf required, a longitudinal portion 41 may be disposed in the casing between its rear wall and the rear side of the cylindrical receptacle 25 to form a compartment for the reception of papers and parcels which are either too large to be deposited in the receptacle or which it is not deemed necessary to pass through the receptacle into the locked compartment.

A curved guard-strip 42 is disposed in the casing in front of the receptacle 25 to prevent access to the locked compartment through the receptacle when the latter is partially overturned.

Attached to the cover l1, preferably at the rear side, is a socket 52 for supporting a rod 53, having a small signal-flag mounted to rotate on its upper end. The rod 53 is mounted to swing into a vertical position when in use and to be folded down when not in use.

The signal-flag will be held by friction only, as by a spring 55, so that the fiag may be set with its broad side toward any direction to denote from a distance the fact of mail having been deposited. For instance, if the box is located at a distance from the house, as in many places in the country, when the carrier deposits the mail he sets the Hag with one side toward the house to notify persons at the house of that fact. Then if the owner of the box deposits mail therein for the carrier to collect he sets the lag with the side exposed to the view of the carrier as he approachesto notify him of that fact. If, however, no mail is in the box the rod 53, with its flag, will be left turned down out or' sight. Thus both the carrier and owner of the box may know of the condition of the same from a distance and much valuable time gained thereby, as will be obvious. By this arrangement of parts it is obvious that a very simply-constructed and efficient device of the character described is produced, which may be employed wherever mail is to be deposited by the carrier Jfor the owner of the device or deposited by the owner of the device for collection by the carrier.

The device may be made of any desired size or capacity and of any suitable material.

Two of the segments 27 may be employed, as shown in Fig. 4, so that no danger would exist of mail-matter lodging in the receptacle in event of the complete overturning of the same.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. ln a letter-box, a casing having a swinging co'ver,a cylind rical receptacle havinga longitudinal opening along one side and mounted for rotation in said casing beneath said cover, curved rods pivotally connected by one end to said receptacle and having longitudinal slots in their other ends for movably engaging pins in said cover, whereby said receptacle will be rotated by said cover at the last portion of its movement in opening and closing.

2. 1n a letter-box having means for the insertion and removal of the mail-matter, and provided with an external socket, said socket having an inwardly-extending internal resilient locking-pawl, a supporting member for engaging said socket and formed with a recess for receiving said locking-pawl, and a laterally projecting lug having vertical spaced studs for supporting said casing.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JASPER N. NUTT. Witnesses:

JOSHUA E. RUSSELL, Gr. E. CYPHERs.

lOO 

